[The Pink Family in the Columbia River Gorge of Oregon and Washington]

Bigleaf Sandwort, Big-leaf Sandwort, Largeleaf Sandwort

Moehringia macrophylla

Synonym: Arenaria macrophylla

Bigleaf Sandwort, Big-leaf Sandwort, Largeleaf Sandwort: Moehringia macrophylla (Synonym: Arenaria macrophylla)

Big-leaf sandwort as seen along the Eagle Creek Trail, Columbia River Gorge.........May 10, 2012.

Flower and sepals of Bigleaf Sandwort, Big-leaf Sandwort, Largeleaf Sandwort: Moehringia macrophylla (Synonym: Arenaria macrophylla)The photo at right illustrates big-leaf sandwort as photographed along the Crofton Ridge Trail on Crofton Ridge on the southern flanks of Mt. Adams...........May 28, 2005.

Characteristics:

Big-leaf sandwort is a small perennial with numerous slender rhizomes which forms loose mats or patches of plants. The stems are spreading to erect and often branched. They rise 5-15 cm high and are 3 to 4-angled in cross-section. The numerous leaves are linear-elliptic to lanceolate in shape with acute tips. The leaves range from 2-5 cm long and 3-15 mm wide.

The flowers are found in loose, bracteate cymes at the leaf axils and terminus of the stems. The slender pedicels are up to 3 cm long. The sepals are ovate-lanceolate in shape with pointed tips. The 5 white petals range from shorter than the sepals to half again as long as the sepals.


Habitat:

Big-leaf sandwort is a plant of moist to dry, shaded to open woods, meadows and rocky slopes.


Range:

Big-leaf sandwort may be found from British "Columbia southward along both sides of the Cascade Mts. to California. It may be found eastward to Labrador and the Atlantic coast, and south through the Rocky Mts. to New Mexico.

In the Columbia River Gorge it may be found between the elevations of 100'-4800' between the Sandy River in the west and The Dalles, OR in the east.


Bigleaf Sandwort, Big-leaf Sandwort, Largeleaf Sandwort: Moehringia macrophylla (Synonym: Arenaria macrophylla) - Bigleaf Sandwort, Big-leaf Sandwort, Largeleaf Sandwort: Moehringia macrophylla (Synonym: Arenaria macrophylla)

Big-leaf sandwort as seen (left) along the Angels Rest Trail in the Columbia River Gorge.........May 18, 2009. The photo at right shows big-leaf sandwort as seen along the Hamilton Mountain Trail, Beacon Rock State Park........March 30, 2016.

Bigleaf Sandwort, Big-leaf Sandwort, Largeleaf Sandwort: Moehringia macrophylla (Synonym: Arenaria macrophylla) - Bigleaf Sandwort, Big-leaf Sandwort, Largeleaf Sandwort: Moehringia macrophylla (Synonym: Arenaria macrophylla) - Bigleaf Sandwort, Big-leaf Sandwort, Largeleaf Sandwort: Moehringia macrophylla (Synonym: Arenaria macrophylla)

Big-leaf sandwort beginning to bloom at the Camas Patch, Carson, WA..........April 23, 2017.

Bigleaf Sandwort, Big-leaf Sandwort, Largeleaf Sandwort: Moehringia macrophylla (Synonym: Arenaria macrophylla) - Bigleaf Sandwort, Big-leaf Sandwort, Largeleaf Sandwort: Moehringia macrophylla (Synonym: Arenaria macrophylla)

Big-leaf sandwort as seen (left) along the Dog Mountain Trail in the Columbia River Gorge...........May 4, 2011. The photo at right shows big-leaf sandwort as seen along the equestrian trail in Beacon Rock State Park........April 8, 2016.

Bigleaf Sandwort, Big-leaf Sandwort, Largeleaf Sandwort: Moehringia macrophylla (Synonym: Arenaria macrophylla) - Bigleaf Sandwort, Big-leaf Sandwort, Largeleaf Sandwort: Moehringia macrophylla (Synonym: Arenaria macrophylla)

Big-leaf sandwort as observed along the Weldon Wagon Road about two miles east of Husum, WA.........April 19, 2018 (at left) and April 23, 2024 (at right).

Bigleaf Sandwort, Big-leaf Sandwort, Largeleaf Sandwort: Moehringia macrophylla (Synonym: Arenaria macrophylla)

The above photo of big-leaf sandwort was shot along Forest Rd 82 at an approximate elevation of 2542' on Mt. Adams.........May 7, 2005.

Paul Slichter